It appears that PS3 owners will not be able to enjoy more blockbusters in hidef video as paramount and dreamworks had each announced exclusive HD DVD support on their blockbuster releases as well as catalogue titles. This announcement however DO NOT include titles directed by Steven Spielberg.

Transformers, shrek 3 and Blades of Glory are the first three titles from paramount/dreamworks that will be exclusively available on HD DVD. Sorry PS3 owners, no hidef robots for you . Titanic exclusive to HD DVD too

its fun to see GIANT studios such as these two and highe end CE such as ONKYO announcing exclusive and non exclusive support for a dead format !! the war has just started and HD DVD had just decided to join BD in media war .. Let the show begin

Associate press' article:

By ALEX VEIGA
The Associated Press


Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. will offer next-generation DVDs in the HD DVD format and drop support for Blu-ray, further complicating the race between the competing technologies.

Monday's announcement affects the upcoming DVD releases of the blockbusters "Shrek the Third" and "Transformers," along with movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films.

Paramount previously released movies in both DVD formats.

"Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience," said Brad Grey, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

"I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount," he said.

The move does not include films directed by Steven Spielberg, as his films are not exclusive to either format.

The competition between Blu-ray and HD DVD has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Until recently, many consumers were able to defer the choice because players have been so expensive. But prices have been slashed by about half Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray player now sells for $499, and Toshiba Corp.'s cheapest HD DVD player sells for $299, with both likely to include as many as five free movies as an incentive.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, said consumers seeking to switch to high-definition DVDs will be enticed by the content available for HD-DVD players, and the lower price for the Toshiba devices will appeal to the family market.

"It's a game-changer, what they're doing, and it's why we decided to throw in with them," Katzenberg said.

Standalone HD DVD players have a bigger slice of the market than Blu-ray players. But when you count Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which comes with a Blue-ray drive, there are more Blu-ray players in U.S. homes.

Rob Moore, president of Paramount Worldwide Distribution, said market data shows that people who own gaming consoles buy fewer movies than those who invest in a high-definition player that only plays movies.

The Blu-ray Disc Association trade group did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

Blu-ray discs can hold more data 50 gigabytes compared with HD DVD's 30 GB but the technology requires new manufacturing techniques and factories, boosting initial costs.

HD DVDs, on the other hand, are essentially DVDs on steroids, meaning movie studios can turn to existing assembly lines to produce them in mass.

Studios and retailers have been choosing sides in recent months.

With Paramount dropping Blu-ray support, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. remains the only major studio releasing movies in both formats.

"Spider-Man 3" will only be available in the Blu-ray DVD format when it is released by Sony Pictures.

Likewise, people with Blu-ray players won't be able to enjoy the action-thriller "The Bourne Ultimatum," which Universal Pictures will release only in HD DVD.

The Blu-ray format recently got a big boost as Blockbuster Inc. announced it would stock only Blu-ray titles when it expands its high-def DVD offerings this year. (((( added: blockbuster made the announcement because they were given BD movie disks for FREE )))

Target Inc., the nation's second-largest retailer, said it will only sell Blu-ray DVD players in its stores in the fourth quarter. ((( Traget did not say that. Sony's press release said that. And again BD is NOT DVD. Target still sell the HD DVD add on and HD DVD players are available online ))))

Sony Pictures, News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox, The Walt Disney Co., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are releasing only in Blu-ray.

Universal, owned by General Electric Co., backs HD DVD exclusively.

Published: Monday, August 20, 2007 11:13 PDT


official press release:

Paramount and DreamWorks Animation Each Declare Exclusive Support for HD DVD

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articl...220082007-1.htm

Movies Distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment Including Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Animation SKG, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films to be Released Exclusively in HD DVDExclusive Program To Begin with Release of "Blades of Glory," Followed by "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third," Films Representing More Than $1.5 Billion in Combined Worldwide Box Office

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. and DreamWorks Animation SKG , each announced today that they will exclusively support the next-generation HD DVD format on a worldwide basis. The exclusive HD DVD commitment will include all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment.

The companies each said that the decision to distribute exclusively in the HD DVD format resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs. Paramount Home Entertainment will launch its exclusive HD DVD program with the release of the blockbuster comedy hit "Blades of Glory" on August 28th and follow with two of the biggest grossing movies of the year "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third". These three titles alone represent more than $1.5 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide.

"The combination of Paramount and DreamWorks Animation brings a critical mass of current box office hits to consumers with a line-up of live action and animated films that are perfect for HD DVD," stated Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, which is currently the leading studio in domestic box office. "Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience. I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount."

"We decided to release "Shrek the Third" and other DreamWorks Animation titles exclusively on HD DVD because we believe it is the best format to bring high quality home entertainment to a key segment of our audience -- families," stated DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg. "We believe the combination of this year's low-priced HD DVD players and the commitment to release a significant number of hit titles in the fall makes HD DVD the best way to view movies at home."

With the rapid increase of HD TV screens in households, and audiences wanting to enjoy the total entertainment experience, HD DVD has emerged as the most affordable way for consumers to watch their movies in high definition. In addition to pristine quality, HD DVD also offers consumers the chance to personalize the movie-watching experience, to interact with their movies and even to connect with a community of other fans.

Paramount Home Entertainment will issue new releases day and date as well as catalog titles exclusively on HD DVD. Today's announcement does not include films directed by Steven Spielberg as his films are not exclusive to either format.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom , a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and DreamWorks Studios. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studios and Worldwide Television Distribution.

About DreamWorks Animation SKG

DreamWorks Animation is principally devoted to developing and producing computer generated, or CG, animated feature films. With world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced CG filmmaking technology and techniques, DreamWorks Animation makes high quality CG animated films meant for a broad movie-going audience. The Company has theatrically released a total of fourteen animated feature films, including Antz, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shark Tale, Madagascar, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Over the Hedge, Flushed Away, and Shrek the Third. DreamWorks Animation's newest release, Bee Movie, opens in theaters November 2, 2007.

This post has been edited by g5sim: Aug 21 2007, 03:17 AM

you are one of the lucki ones

erm . region coding in BD . sorry

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Added on August 22, 2007, 3:16 amgot some more:

BD fans picked a forum post at Michael bay's official forum saying Michael bay: no Transformers in BD. no Transformers 2 and movie fans rejoice because he is not directing the sequel

any how he did not complaint about Pearl Harbour and TheRock released on in Blu-ray.

and one title:

Sony PR machine, CGI frantically contacted news agency to spread the 'news' that microsoft paid 150 mil to get the exclusive deal. like people care how they got the exclusive deal


This post has been edited by g5sim: Aug 22 2007, 03:16 AM

\

all these while that Disney, LG, Fox, SCREAMED exclusive BD support. where was the consumer choice for HD DVD owners?. they are the less kaya one whom picked HD DVD because its cheaper. were Disney, FOX and LG forcing them to fork 2x their HD DVD price just to view their movies?

On the other hand, if a person can afford to buy a $1000 or $600 BD player, getting a $240 HD DVD player is not an issue. The same cannot be said the other way around! Dont you agree?

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Added on August 23, 2007, 4:06 amALL STUDIOS SHOULD release titles in both format . kau tiam no bising bising - let the industry take its shape. if they manage to cut the cost, they make more money. if they decide to pass the savings to consumer. i tabik hormat

This post has been edited by g5sim: Aug 23 2007, 04:06 AM

erm - Paramount has stopped producing BD. Does that count? or maybe a trend is starting ?

[quote=stringfellow,Aug 23 2007, 04:42 PM]
Let's be frank about this. We all want the format war to end. The faster the movie industry choses a singular format to release the movies in HD, the better it is for the consumer, since we can move forward with developing more into that singular format, and driving the price down through mass adoption.

Nope - The war should continue until we see cheap HD players. $199 or $149. and cheaper HD disk. $36.98 has to go. $29.98 should be the maximum MRSP with catalogue titles priced at $24.99.Amazon should then sell the disk at $16-$9 .

like it or not, HD DVD can go down in price MUCH MORE faster than Blu-ray

The thing here is, exclusivity announcements like these, delays this singular format adoption, prolonging the war. Consumers are then forced to either wait even longer while more and more movies are being released on different formats, hoping that those movies will still be available when the "nuclear fallout" from the war settles and a singular format emerges. Those who had chosen a side (or two sides) had to face the fact that they either have to settle for movies exclusive to their chosen format, or in the case of those who embraces the two formats, having to invest further in 2 players to get their movie fixes. This very reason is why there are still many Joe/Jane.Q.Public still squatting on the fence seeing how this is going to end.

This is what BDA had been telling us and some of us actually believed it. Consumers are not buying into hidef because of the format war. They dont know about the format war. They dont know what the frack is Blu-ray. Consumers will buy into HD when the prices drop and the format war and Toshiba' economic of scale is doing just that.

Bear in mind that when i posted that paragaraph above, it applies to both the HD-DVD and BDA consortium. What consumers want, im sure, although the truth is hard to swallow, is one format to live, and the other die a quiet death. Unless players for both formats drops down to ridiculously cheap prices, i dont see the general masses buying two players for two formats. Face it, although we pat ourselves around the bac saying that both formats can live side by side together, this utopian scenario will not happen. I mean, this is not the console war folks, where 3 consoles can live side by side, feeding on their own piece of the videogaming pie. Historically, in the home video format, the general masses CHOOSES only ONE and only ONE format, not two or three. As much as anyone hates to hear this , be it from a Blu-ray or HD-DVD fan, One shal live, and one shall fall, as to quote Mr.Optimus himself. Then, and only then, can the industry moves forward with improving that surviving singular format with more features and capabilities. Until that happens, we will continue to see these exclusivity deals being thrown around, and feces being sling about between the two competing camps.

The only other way i see how two formats can live side by side with each other is, to destroy the studio exclusivity, and let all studios produce their movies on both the Hd-DVD and Blu-ray format, and let the consumer shoose which format their would rather buy. But this is impossible pipe-dreamish to think off, since if this happens, these movie studios would have to pay royalty and publishing fees to both the BDA AND the HD-DVD group for producing on their medium. No movie studio wants to chalk up losses by doing this, which is why we will continue seeing studios choosing sides until something happens to either kill one format and let the other live, or unifies it.

This is what Sony is hellbent to prevent because they know they wont make it with equal content. That is why we hear them scream the war is over. we won. we have burried HD DVD. They HYPED exclusivity as the only thing that matters. Guess that? The 'exclusivity' term just exploded in their face !

No one is going to buy BD that is priced 2x when 300, Blood diamond, can do MUCH more than BD.

Sony is subsidizing BD replication. 25GB single layer Blu-ray disks cost $2.95 to make - 30GB Double slayer cost $2.09 (both = 1,000 bulk price) and the insiders in the AVSforum revealed that the 50GB double layer BD disk cost more than $4. Currently ONLY Sony is replicating the 50GB disks. Why, Sony will always have PS3 to fall back to. The same cannot be said on other new entrants. With the paramount announcement, potential entrants to BD replication business would be MUCH MORE wary.

http://www.pacificdisc.com/PricingHD-DVD.html
http://www.pacificdisc.com/PricingBluRay.html

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Added on August 24, 2007, 5:12 am[quote=refnulf,Aug 23 2007, 06:21 PM]


This will only be bad for the consumer, because as far as we know, Blu-Ray is the more expensive media while the HD-DVD is slightly cheaper to mass produce.

[/quote]

check my post

Double layer HD DVD : $2
Double layer BD : >$4

multiply that by millions of disks per title and see the difference


This post has been edited by g5sim: Aug 24 2007, 05:12 AM